All the books in the mDecks series have been designed based on the same idea: a system of “eternals vs. hierarchical challenges”.
Each exercise you decide to practice should have a goal. These goals are sometimes hard to conquer, and finding a path that leads to them, is not always easy. Frequently, we cannot decide whether to move on to the next step or to keep practicing the same exercise over and over again and, most probably, forgetting the reason we started playing it. One of the reasons this is so confusing is that some exercises are meant to resolve an issue in our playing, while others are a workout for our mind and body. The first ones should be played only until the issue is resolved, the latter should be part of your routine, repeatedly. That’s where our concept of “eternals vs. hierarchical” comes into play.
All exercises are organized in a two page layout. Left pages contain the description and pertinent information for the exercise. Right pages contain the score for that same exercise, in standard music notation.
Every exercise has an unique identifier called mDecks-cid which, as you will see, is very useful for your practice routine’s organization and effectiveness. Also, each exercise has a link to its recommended previous exercise in difficulty. If the exercise has the infinite icon then is an eternal (meaning you can practice it any time you want, just as a workout). Otherwise, it would be an issue you need to resolve in order to reach a certain goal, in which case; and once you’ve mastered it, you need not practice it any further.
Two methods of practicing
•1. You can go in order page by page. (eternals can be retaken in cycles)
•2. Choose any page randomly or look for a topic you would like to practice, and try the exercise. If it is too challenging or seems impossible, follow the links to the previous level exercises, until you have reached the one at your current level, and then work your way up the exercise ladder to attain the desire goal. With eternals, levels of complexity exist but all levels give you a good workout.
Exercise Presentation: The graph below shows how the exercise are presented. The layout is exactly the same for all exercises. This will save you time, since you will know where and what to look for, every time you start a new exercise.
Page Content:
Eternal icon: It will be displayed only if the exercise is an eternal
Clock: with suggested time duration for the exercise
Keyboard Graph: Showing the hand position or the exercise
Link to the previous ex: If you can’t play the current one, try that one.
Code for downloading qTracks (an mp3 version of the exercise)
A link to pages at the beginning of the book with more info on the exercise.
All text in italics are common to many exercises.
An inspirational quote of the exercise: To keep you going!
This page layout will always be on the left pages of the book. Right pages will show the actual music notation of the corresponding exercise.
